1. Field
This disclosure relates to security and password authentication.
2. Background Art
User authentication is often implemented as an entry form for the input of a username and password. When the form is submitted, both username and password are typically sent to a server. The server then validates the username and password combination and either grants the user access or presents the user with an incorrect password notification. In the latter situation, the user must try again. To be reasonably secure, passwords or passphrases must be fairly long (often including eight or more characters).
Password entry fields are typically masked with an asterisk or other character (e.g., circle) to prevent others who can see the screen from obtaining the password. This added measure of security, unfortunately, masks typing errors that can arise when entering a password. When a username and password is entered and submitted it often takes a significant amount of time for the browser or other client application to send a request and receive the result. This time can be particularly long on mobile devices where network latency can be high. If the password is incorrectly typed, the user has to start all over again.